http://srdc.msstate.edu/ecommerce/enews/
November 2006, No. 14 Welcome to the Latest Issue of eNews: This month's issue of eNews focuses on blogs, an important avenue being used by a number of individuals and organizations to share timely information and to secure input from readers on a host of topics. Our interest, however, is on the unique benefits that blogging offers to small businesses. We hope the variety of items included in this issue will give our readers a taste of the valuable ways in which blogs have been incorporated into the very life of businesses. We also want to alert our readers that the next round of competitive grants available to support innovative e-commerce curricula and programs for use by Extension educators across the United States will be announced in early 2007. We plan to share the details with you in the January 2007 issue of eNews. Best wishes for a happy holiday season. Bo Beaulieu Director, Southern Rural Development Center
News and Research:
Blogging for Dollars By Paul Sloan and Paul Kaihla, Business 2.0 Magazine Blogs started as fun hobbies, but some small sites are now making big money. Why are blogs so popular? They’re cheap. Learn more at: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/09/01/8384325/in dex.htm?postversion=2006090812 Do It Yourself E-Commerce, Part 4: Comparison Shopping Engines By Andrew K. Burger, E-Commerce Times Comparison shopping engines, such as Froogle and Shopzilla, allow customers to easily compare prices offered by participating e-tailers. According to this article, “one of the big incentives for smaller e-tailers to become adept at using comparison engines is their potential to level the playing field and help them compete with their larger cousins.” Read more about comparison shopping engines plus find links to parts one, two and three of this series at: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/53633.html Blogs Put Businesses on Web Search Map By Jim Hopkins, USA Today.com "Every company needs a blog," says one blogging consultant interviewed by USA
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Today. Find out why marketing experts are so excited about blogs. http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/2006-09-19-blog-smallbiz_x.htm E-Merchants Should Submit Products for Froogle Using Google Base Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, Wilson Internet Just in time for Christmas, Dr. Ralph Wilson shares his tips for using Froogle (Google’s comparison shopping engine) to get the most out of your holiday sales. Read more at: http://www.wilsonweb.com/ecommerce/googlebase.htm Sun Microsystems CEO: Blogging Means Business E-Commerce Times Blogging has been a successful venture for Sun Microsystems’ CEO, Jonathan Schwartz, who publishes his blog in 10 languages, but blogs are not without risks. See the full story at: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/53138.html The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers By Saheli S.R. Datta, Business 2.0 Magazine Get the most out of your blog, especially if you want to appeal to advertisers. View these seven tips at: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/09/01/8384326/in dex.htm Blogging for Better Customer Service By Erika Morphy, E-Commerce Times Business owners know that dissatisfied customers don’t always voice their complaints inside the store (or webstore). Instead, they wait and tell ten friends. Today, they might also put it on a blog. Read what the experts advise at: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/53815.html
E-Commerce Successes:
“Lip Service” Mary Kay Cosmetics Susannah Patton, CIO.com Mary Kay does not sell products directly from a central website. Instead, it helps its home-based sales force manage their businesses online. Read more about this successful strategy at: http://www.cio.com/archive/120101/rule_marykay.html
E-Library Focus:
Rutgers University Libraries http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/busi/ecomm.shtml
Helpful Tools and Resources
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Blogs for Small Business This directory lists blogs for small businesses including categories for home-based businesses and entrepreneurs. Over 700 blog sites are in the directory. http://www.blogsforsmallbusiness.com/directory/ Best Shopping Search Engines on the Web By Wendy Boswell, About.com A guide to 12 of the author’s favorite consumer search engines. http://websearch.about.com/od/enginesanddirectories/a/shopsearcheng.htm Wikipedia Refer to this free online encyclopedia to learn more about blogs, consumer search engines, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog Website Reviews: Small Business Blogs What does Forbes.com say about the multitude of blogs on the Web? Read Forbes’ reviews of some small business blogs and discover the “Forbes Favorite.” http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/category.jhtml?id=320
eNews is a bimonthly electronic newsletter produced by the Southern Rural Development Center
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